"Russia can't really be trusted," Kaja Kallas warns ahead of new Trump-Putin conversation

Russia does not want peace in Ukraine and cannot be trusted to advance such a goal, EU High Representative Kaja Kallas warned on the eve of a new phone call between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, which Europe will certainly follow with great attention.

Russia “will use this opportunity to present all kinds of demands, and what we see already is that they are presenting demands that are the ultimate goals,” Kallas said Monday afternoon after a meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels.

Her comments are a reaction to Putin's non-committal response to the White House's proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, which Kiev has already accepted, the Telegraph reports.

The Russian leader has insisted that several "nuances" be clarified, including whether Western supplies of weapons and ammunition would continue.

"So, during these 30 days, will the mobilization in Ukraine continue? Will weapons be supplied there? Are these 30 days needed for the newly mobilized units to be trained? Or will none of this happen," he asked at a press conference last week.

Putin also spoke of a solution to address what he called the "root causes" of the war, a term he often uses to call for Ukraine's demilitarization and a commitment to neutrality, which Kiev staunchly opposes.

"The ball is in Russia's court. What we see now is that Russia doesn't really want peace. (There) was an understanding around the table that Russia can't really be trusted," Kallas said on Monday.

Asked if Europe would be invited to the US-led talks, Kallas said: "As we see, there is no negotiating table because Russia is not coming to the negotiating table."

Kęstutis Budrys, Lithuania's foreign minister, who attended Monday's meeting, said the burden of concessions should be placed on the aggressor.

"We demand from Ukraine an unconditional position when we see so many conditions on Putin's part and we see the real intention," Budrys said upon arrival.

"There is no place for peace in Putin's imperialist plan, that much is clear, and these actions speak louder than words," Budrys added.

His Finnish counterpart, Elina Valtonen, expressed a similar message.

"President Trump's genuine effort to achieve peace should not be misused by Putin to further weaken Ukraine, and to return with aggression at some point in the near future," she said.

The skepticism is shared by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has described Putin's preconditions as "very predictable" and "very manipulative."

Zelensky pointed to reports of a Russian military buildup along the border with the Sumy region, in northeastern Ukraine, as "clear" evidence that Putin intends to "ignore diplomacy" and "prolong the war."

"This indicates an intention to attack," Zelensky said over the weekend.

Trump, by contrast, appeared more optimistic as he announced his intention to hold a phone call with Putin on Tuesday, which the Kremlin has confirmed.

"We're going to talk about land. We're going to talk about power plants," Trump said on Sunday, adding that negotiators had already discussed "sharing certain assets." /Telegraph/